Device for facilitating penmanship



(No Model.)

v T. M. WATT. DEVICE FOR FACILITATING PENMA'NSHIP.

No. 563,107. PatentedJune 30, 18 96.

Inventor: T ham/14'. Wat-6 4 5/ his W 8 Witnesses:

ilw i, film ANDREW VEGRMMNL PHUTOUTHQWASIIINGTONE C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS M. WATT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DEVICE FOR FACILITATING PENMANS HIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,107, dated June 30, 1896.

Application filed March 17, 1896. Serial No. 583,575. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS M. Wnrr, a citizen of the United States, residingin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Devices for Facilitating Penmanship, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a device intended to be attached to the hand of a writer to properly support the wrist and fingers in correct position for writing,the device serving further to lessen the friction ordinarily caused by the movement of the hand over the paper, to prevent the common, but erroneous, dependence upon the fingers alone in moving the pen, and to assist in the acquirement of the proper wrist and arm movements, the eifect being to give the user those qualities of rapidity, grace, ease, accuracy, steadiness, and legibility desirable in the work of a penman.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view showing the same applied to the hand, the latter, however, not being shown in writing position, but turned upward to illustrate more clearly the application of the device thereto. Fig 3 is a similar view showing the device adapted to support the fingers in an extended position. Figs. 4L and 5 are transverse sections, respectively, on the lines 4: at and 5 5, Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a partial end view of the device.

The device shown in the drawings is composed wholly of bent wire, and this is the preferable construction on grounds of economy and facility of manufacture, although the structure may be made of sheet metal or other material without sacrificing the essential features of the invention.

The device comprises a hand and wrist portion and a finger portion connected by a stem extending along the outer side of the hand, the stem being preferably extensible and contractible so as to provide for varying the adjustment of the finger portion of the device in respect to the hand portion.

The wrist and hand portion of the device comprises a pair of concave loops A and B, the former in line with the wrist and the loop B underlying the inner portion of the palm, a loop D extending over the back of the wrist and serving to hold the device in proper position thereon.

The finger portion comprises a loop F for lyingbeneath the third and little finger of the hand and holding them in proper position, as shown in Fig. 2, and a projecting tongue or finger G, which is in a somewhat lower plane than the loop F, as shown in Fig. 4, and thus serves tobear upon the paper and support the fingers in position slightly above the same.

In like manner the Wrist-supporting loop A is flanked by a tongue or finger H, in a somewhat lower plane than said loop, as shown in Fig. 6, and serving as a support for the wrist portion of the device, so that the wrist and the inner portion of the palm of the hand are likewise supported at a slight distance above the surface of the paper. The finger Hin the present instance constitutes the terminal wire of the rear loop D, but it may be an independent piece, if desired. The round and smooth surfaces presented by the fingers G and H slide easily over the surface of the paper and thus facilitate the writing operation by lessening the friction which is usually caused by contact of the broad surface of the wrist, palm, and fingers with the paper.

The stem I of the finger portion of the device slides through a tubular guide J, formed, in the present instance, by bending or coiling the end of the wire of which the loop B is composed, this tubular guide exercising sufficient friction upon the stem I to serve to retain it in any of its positions of longitudinal adjustment in the guide.

At the outer end of the guide is a depending finger K, which serves as a support for that portion of the device between the hand and finger portions, and thus prevents friction between this portion of the device and the paper, as well as acting as a brace for maintaining the hand and finger portions of the device in proper relation to each other and to the writing-surface. WVhen the finger portion of the device is pushed inward, as shown in Fig. 2, it serves to properly support the third and little fingers of the hand when the latter are bent inward in the usual writing position, the provision for extending the finger portion of the device, however, enabling the same to be used as a support for the third and little fingers of the hand when the latter are extended, as shown in Fig. 3.

The finger D is preferably of flexible material, so that it can be bent to fit snugly to the back of the wrist, or it may be elastic, so as to slip over the hand in applying the device.

The attachment just described permits the hand to move swiftly over the writing-surface, owing to the reduced frictional surface in contact with the paper, and in addition to the speed thus insured it adds to the grace of the writing by holding the fingers and wrist in proper relative position, preventing fatigue of either wrist or fingers, and permitting great freedom of movement of the hand, the wrist and arm movements essential to graceful, speedy, and accurate penmanship being unconsciously brought into play by the writer after a little practice.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A penmans assistant comprising a wristsupport, a finger-support and a connection between the same, both supports being adapted to rest upon the writing-surface and to prevent contact of the hand or fingers therewith, substantially as specified.

2. A penmans assistant consisting of a wrist and hand support, a finger-support, and a longitudinally expansible and contractible connection between the two, substantially as specified 3. A penmans assistant consisting'of a wrist and hand support, afinger-support and a connection whereby said parts are retained in proper position in respect to each other, said wrist and finger portions having portions projecting below them and servingby contact with the writing-surface to support the attachment in a plane above the same, substantially as specified.

4. A penmans assistant consisting of a wrist and hand support, a finger-support, a

connection whereby the same are retained in proper relation to each other, said wrist and finger supports having portions projecting below the same so as to support them above the writing-surface, and the connecting device also having a downwardly-projecting support and brace, substantially as specified. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS M. WATT. Witnesses:

J 0s. H. KLEIN, FRANK E. BECHTOLD. 

